The Patriot Post® · Monday Executive News Summary
Khamenei’s successor selected: Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has officially been selected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts to become the Islamic regime’s new supreme leader. The senior Khamenei led Iran from 1989 until he was killed on February 28 by an Israeli air strike. It’s not a surprise that Mojtaba was selected, as he has increasingly played a role in his father’s leadership over the last several years. Last week, President Donald Trump responded to rumors of Mojtaba taking over by stating bluntly, “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran.” He added, “I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela.” Furthermore, with Israel actively targeting and eliminating members of the Iranian regime’s leadership, Mojtaba’s time as supreme leader may be short-lived.
Oil tops $100: In light of Operation Epic Fury, global oil prices have shot up. On Sunday, the price of a barrel surged past $100, with U.S. crude prices jumping 25%, hitting $115 per barrel. Prices at the pump have followed suit, with the national average jumping to $3.45 per gallon, the highest since 2022. Rising energy prices have negatively impacted global stock markets. Hoping to calm the panic, President Trump contended on Truth Social, “Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace.”
Attempted Muslim terror attack in NYC: As predictable as night following day are claims of “Islamophobia” in the wake of Islamic terror attacks. On Saturday, a group of anti-Islamic protesters assembled outside the new Muslim New York City mayor’s home were attacked by two men yelling “Allahu akbar.” Eighteen-year-old Emir Balat can be seen on video lighting an IED before sprinting toward the Americans and tossing the bomb at them while shouting the jihadist phrase. Thankfully, the IED did not explode. In a social media post about the attack, Mayor Zohran Mamdani named the protest organizer, calling him a white supremacist and implying that the anti-Islamic protesters threw the bomb, not the Islamic counterprotesters. Balat was assisted by his friend Ibrahim Nikk; both men have been arrested. The NYPD has announced that the two are being investigated for links to the Islamic State terror group.
Mamdani’s “better half” likes jihad: The Muslim mayor of New York City shares a bed with a celebrator of terrorism. Rama Duwaji, who started dating Zohran Mamdani in 2021, liked several pro-Hamas terror posts on social media in the wake of the October 7 attack that killed over a thousand Israelis. Mamdani has tried to distance himself from Hamas supporters, calling that attack a horrific war crime, but it’s reasonable to suppose that his bias aligns with that of his wife. Zohran and Rama married in early 2025, well after her support for Hamas terrorism. When pressed about his wife’s social media activities, Mamdani responded blandly that she has not held any official position in his campaign or in city hall.
Trump launches Shield of the Americas: President Trump announced in a meeting with South American leaders on Saturday a new initiative to combat drug trafficking and cross-border crime syndicates in the Western Hemisphere. Shield of the Americas will coordinate military, intelligence, and law enforcement among partner countries to dismantle the cartels’ operations. President Trump insisted, “The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries.” Outgoing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will be the first U.S. special envoy to the coalition.
Trump’s SAVE Act ultimatum: On Sunday, President Trump vowed not to sign any laws until the Senate passes the SAVE Act, a law that would safeguard America’s national elections by requiring proof of citizenship and an ID to vote. “Pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, an 88% issue with ALL VOTERS,” Trump stated. “It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE.” Predictably, Democrats balked. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer falsely framed the legislation as “Jim Crow 2.0,” absurdly claiming that “it would disenfranchise tens of millions of people.” Apparently, Schumer is concerned that the law would prevent millions of noncitizens and illegal aliens from voting. He promised that Democrats would continue blocking a vote on the legislation. In lieu of Schumer’s threat, Trump has pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune to adopt a talking filibuster in an effort to overcome Democrat opposition.
Appeals court upholds gun rights: A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Appeals in DC ruled 2-1 last Thursday that Washington, DC’s, law limiting firearms’ magazine capacity to 10 rounds or less is unconstitutional. Writing for the majority, Judge Joshua Deahl observed magazines with capacity for more than 10 rounds are “ubiquitous in our country” and “come standard with the most popular firearms sold in America today.” He added, “Because these magazines are arms in common and ubiquitous use by law abiding citizens across this country, we agree with Benson and the United States that the District’s outright ban on them violates the Second Amendment.” This is a big Second Amendment win and sets up the U.S. Supreme Court to potentially weigh in on numerous states and localities that have imposed restrictions on so-called “large-capacity magazines.”
A Democrat sheltered an illegal criminal during the State of the Union: Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) may have gotten himself into trouble during the most recent State of the Union. Moulton invited illegal immigrant Marcelo Gomes da Silva to attend the speech before hiding him in his office once the Department of Homeland Security started posting about his presence. Moulton also incorrectly referred to the foreign citizen as a “great American.” As it turns out, the situation may be even worse, as da Silva was named as a person of interest in two police reports from 2021 involving “a sexual assault and juveniles.” The records are sealed at the moment, but journalists are working to have the full story disclosed.
Finally, a Medal of Honor for famed Marine: Marine Corps legend John Ripley, believe it or not, is finally receiving the Medal of Honor for his heroic act of singlehandedly halting the advance of 20,000 North Vietnamese troops. During his second tour in Vietnam, then-Captain Ripley was stationed at a firebase between Khe Sanh and Dong Ha. On March 30, 1972, the North Vietnamese launched a massive three-pronged attack, including 20,000 troops with 200 tanks that had to cross the Dong Ha bridge to reach their objective. In true Marine fashion, Ripley improvised, adapted, and overcame by dangling beneath the bridge for three hours while taking enemy fire, rigging it by hand with 500 lbs of explosives to ensure the bridge was completely destroyed. He succeeded, which helped keep the North from taking Saigon in that offensive. Ripley received the Navy Cross for his bravery and died in 2008 at the age of 69.
Headlines
Jesse Jackson Jr. rebukes Obama, Clinton, and Biden for not truly knowing his father during memorial service (Fox News)
Judge voids Trump’s attempt to gut Voice of America (Washington Times)
United States was “likely” responsible for bombing of girls’ school in Iran, per early U.S. assessment (CBS News)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.